The surgical treatment of small intestine diseases is limited by the possibility of access to the target zone and is therefore carried out within a limited space of the intestine. General surgeries are carried out for the examination of the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract (up to 1.5 m in depth), the access being limited by the duodenum. Conventional colonoscopy also allows treating intestinal obstructions up to 2 m in depth of the large intestine. The rest portion of the small intestine the total length of which with the esophagus is up to 10 m remains inaccessible for noninvasive stenting. Capsule endoscopy is often used for the examination of the entire gastrointestinal tract, but it does not allow surgery.
The only solution for small intestine obstruction patients are abdominal operations which include extensive laparotomy and hence the related risks and complications.
Known are an examination and diagnostic method for the gastrointestinal tract, more specifically, the small intestine, and an ultra-long (10 m) endoscope for the implementation of said method (U.S. Pat. No. 7,481,764 B2, publ. 21 Jan. 2009). Said known method and device provide an efficient tool for the total navigation of the gastrointestinal tract along its entire length.
Disadvantages of said known method and device are that they do not allow small intestine surgery by means of minimum invasive access.
The closest counterpart of the method and device disclosed herein are the method of surgical treatment of empty tubular bodies including blood vessels, arteries and veins, and a device for the implementation of said method (RU 2388433 C2, publ. 10 May 2010). In accordance with this technical solution, the obstructed section of an empty tubular body is expanded with an expandable medical implant for providing support to the tubular body cavity. This implant relates to a specific type of medical components called stents. Stents are delivered to the obstructed area of a vessel by means of special systems including dilatation balloons.
Disadvantages of said known method and device are that they do not allow delivering and installing a stent via an endoscope to any area along the length of the small intestine. The only solution for small intestine obstruction patients, many of who are above 60, are abdominal operations which include extensive laparotomy and hence the related risks and complications.
The prior attempts of providing endoscopes allowing total diagnostics and treatment of small intestine have not been clinically successful. For many years an unresolved problem has been to overcome friction across the entire length of the small intestine due to its extensive tortuosity and up to 10 m length.